Ukrainian Archival Records at the Provincial Archives of Alberta: An Annotated Guide TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Forward 2 2. Introduction 3 3. Historical Overview 6 4. Government Records 9 5. Private Records 12 6. Audio Visual Records 38 7. Index 57 Provincial Archives of Alberta: A7537 “Canada West – The Last Best West” Magazine cover, encouraging immigration to western Canada, 1905-1911 1 FORWARD It is with great pleasure that the Provincial Archives of Alberta, in co-operation with the Friends of the Provincial Archives of Alberta Society, have completed this publication: Ukrainian Archival Records at the Provincial Archives of Alberta: An Annotated Guide. It is the third in a series of annotated guides developed to assist researchers in their work. This guide is not comprehensive as archival descriptions are being added on a regular basis to our online catalogue. The Provincial Archives of Alberta preserves the collective memory of Alberta, and contributes to the protection of Albertans' rights and the sense of the Alberta identity. In carrying out its mandate, of the Provincial Archives acquires, preserves and makes available for research both private and government records of all media related to the history and culture of Alberta, and serves as the permanent archival repository of the Government of Alberta. The Archives ensures a continuity of historical records of Alberta for today and tomorrow, so that the citizens of the Province of Alberta can use these records to better understand themselves. This mandate is hopefully reflected in this project and will provide researchers a good starting point for their research into the Ukrainian experience in Alberta. This project was a cooperative initiative between the Friends of the Provincial Archives of Alberta Society and the Provincial Archives of Alberta. In addition, Andriy Chernevych, who researched, compiled the annotated guide, and prepared the Ukrainian language section of the guide, should be recognized for his work. It is exciting and gratifying that the production of this guide coincides with the 120th anniversary of Ukrainian Settlement in Canada, which is being celebrated through out Canada in 2011. Irene Jendzjowsky Director, Access and Preservation Services Provincial Archives of Alberta 2 INTRODUCTION The Provincial Archives of Alberta is a “total archives”, preserving the documentary heritage of Alberta, including the records created and received in the course of business by the Alberta Government. The records donated to the Provincial Archives by individuals, organizations, associations, faith organizations, businesses and various communities of Alberta are also preserved at the Provincial Archives of Alberta for future generations. As such, the Provincial Archives holds records in a variety of formats and media, such as, paper, film, video, sound recordings and photographic images that document the history of social, cultural, educational and political life of Alberta. Since its establishment in 1963, the Provincial Archives has acquired a wide assortment of records, including records from, and relating to, Alberta’s Ukrainian community. These include both government records as well as records from private individuals, prominent community leaders and various organizations. You will find these listed in this guide. These records range from the late 1880s to the early years of the 21st century with a very broad variety of subjects, including: material culture, relations with the government, education, cultural and community life, all of which represent Alberta’s society at any given point in time. The guide is organized into three main categories, Government Records, Private Records which make up the majority of entries, and Audiovisual Records. It lists the various fonds1 providing information about the date range, scope and content of the records as 1 A fonds is the whole of the documents, regardless of form or medium, created and/or accumulated and used by a particular individual, family or corporate body in the course of that creator’s activities or functions (This definition has been adapted from: Canadian Council of Archives. Rules for Archival Description p. D-5). NOTE: The fonds is the highest level of description in a multilevel description. A fonds is not equivalent to an accession: a fonds may contain two or more accession units; similarly, accession may contain more than one unit. 3 well as the fonds and accession numbers (locator numbers) that are associated with them. The items in the guide are arranged by fonds titles in alphabetical order and capture the records received at the Provincial Archives up to the early years of the 21st century. Full archival descriptions can be found in our online catalogue. In addition to the information found in this annotated guide the full archival description found in our catalogue provides information about the creator and in many cases includes file lists that can also be consulted. The records, relating to the Ukrainian community, not only tell personal life stories of many individuals but also provides a closer look at the Ukrainian community in Alberta, its beginnings and its development, based on the archival records preserved at the Provincial Archives. The records of various organizational are reflected in the records created by various Ukrainian organizations and societies: religious, professional, cultural, political, and educational. Some of these fonds are quite extensive and consist of bylaws, policies, minutes of the meetings, lists of members and executives, newsletters, financial records and materials related to individual programs and events. Sandra Thomson Reading Room at the Provincial Archives of Alberta Of note are some of the government records created as part of government’s cultural or educational programs that sought to preserve Ukrainian heritage in the province. One of the largest collections is the archives related to the Ukrainian bilingual education in Alberta. Another important collection of historical value is materials created as part of the historical research conducted by the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village research 4 program, as part of the Historic Sites Branch in the Heritage Division of the Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit. Although most of the documents are textual records, other media such as photographs and audio recordings are also listed. For example the Myrna Kostash fonds are a remarkably rich collection of oral histories and the Nicholas W. Gavinchuk fonds are an exceptional collection of more than 10,000 photographic images reflecting the life of the Ukrainian community generally in the Smoky Lake area in Alberta. Not all of the Ukrainian fonds that have been donated are described at this point and those not yet described are not included in this guide. That being said, the annotated guide will be updated regularly and full archival descriptions will continue to be added to our catalogue found on our website. It is our hope that this guide will be a good resource for researchers interested in the Ukrainian records at the Provincial Archives of Alberta. 5 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Provincial Archives of Alberta: A1999, Settlers arriving at Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Edmonton, ca. 1900 Ukrainians have been a significant piece of the Alberta mosaic since the late 1800s. The mass immigration of Ukrainians to the west served as a catalyst for the formation of the province and its rapid development in the years to come. The first and largest wave of Ukrainian immigration took place during the two decades leading to World War I. In the 1890s, the Canadian government promoted settlement of the prairies by allowing newcomers to claim a quarter section of land for farming for a nominal fee of $10. In 1895, Dr. Joseph Oleskiw, a geography professor from Lviv, visited Canada and wrote two books. Pro vilni zemli and O emigratsii, which had a great impact in directing Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. The dream of owning land and access to forest products attracted thousands of Western Ukrainians who could raise the $150.00 needed to pay train and boat passage. Whole families and the greater part of many villages joined this emigration, settling in western Canada. In Alberta, the Ukrainian immigrants settled predominantly northeast of Edmonton, which would later be known as the Ukrainian Bloc Settlement in East Central Alberta. By 6 1914, more than 250,000 Ukrainians made their home in Alberta. Most of them were involved in crop farming. The later decades witnessed formation of Ukrainian rural communities with their institutions and unique culture. After World War II, descendants of the Ukrainian pioneer settlers often sought social opportunities in the city of Edmonton and many relocated into the urban centres. The first forms of organized Ukrainian community life in Canada were based on the institutions and organizations already established in Ukraine and transplanted to Canada. In 1898, the first Ukrainian Greek Catholic church was built at Star, Alberta. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada was established later in Alberta. In addition to providing spiritual comfort and performing religious rites such as weddings, christenings and funerals, were the mainstay of the Ukrainian language and culture in Canada. Some of the immigrants subscribed to old country newspapers or to Svoboda (Liberty), a Ukrainian daily newspaper which began publishing in Jersey City, USA, on September 15, 1893. When the need arose for a Canadian Ukrainian newspaper, the Liberal Party, which was then in power, helped financially in establishing Kanadiyski farmer (Canadian Farmer). It began publishing in Winnipeg on November 5, 1903, and is still published today. Two other cultural and educational institutions – Prosvita (Reading Hall) and Ukrainian National Home Association (Narodnyj Dim) were transplanted from Ukraine to Canada. During the Great Depression, immigration all but stopped. Only those who could prove they had enough money to start a farm were allowed to immigrate: Canada had closed its borders in an attempt to reverse the economic slide. By the late 1930s, immigration had, to some degree at last, resumed. Many Ukrainians left their homelands fearing another war.